October Magic

October has you Scrambling

As the “Winds of Changes Shift,” so do we…into high gear.

The first dusting of snow outlines the crags in the mountains. The first frost here in the lowlands sends the little humans scurrying about, gathering the last of the squash and wheelbarrows full of apples, moving the wasabi and other sensitive plants to the greenhouse, what to do with all those medlars? So much abundance! Much will be for wildlife.

Birds – Harbingers of Change

This urgency — the birds most certainly feel it. Keep an eye on them; they will tell you.  

Big birds are back at the feeders:  a dozen or more quail, the Northern flickers and other woodpeckers, raucous Stellar’s jays, gentle doves… Perhaps someday I will invest in a long lens for the camera, but for now, my best photos have been from the other side of a window, looking into their world, as it were, somewhat obscured by October haze and morning fog. But October can have a certain glow about it, does it not?

The goldfinch and rufous hummingbirds, however, are long gone. The geese, too, have flown.

Some of the smaller birds – the juncos, chickadees, sparrows, and their ilk, call this area home. With all the comings and goings, they remain here, unobtrusive, keeping watch, inconspicuous in the shadows, blending in with the soft haze of autumn, enjoying an occasional spot in the sun.

Their caloric needs are high. They scope out the feeders, perhaps keeping them in mind for future reference; I start to fill them on a more frequent basis. But truly, there is plenty of seed around the yard for everyone – at least for now.

And Others…

I feel like I am being watched. We are on the morning rounds for the local deer family. They stop at each of the birdfeeders, browse through the orchard, the young bucks rub their antlers against tree saplings. We can see their breath in the cool morning light as they stroll past our window. The mornings are much cooler now.

October is a month of Mystery

Portals, once hidden in the overgrowth of summer, now reveal themselves. But you have to get past the bindweed to enter, which has the ability to wrap tightly around its prey and strangle its victims. True.

Did we doubt that the secret passageways were always there? I feel like curious Alice following a rabbit in a hurry….

When we stumble upon these paths to secret gardens, I can’t help but be astonished by the garden universes that have been spinning just out of sight throughout the year without our knowing it. They are everywhere, all connected through an entirely different world wide web, much older than anything fabricated by man, and constantly evolving.

When the leaves fall away, we can see the twisted, gnarly, branches that form tunnels, archways, and gateways to – where? It all looks so different now. If I hadn’t planted it all myself, I might be a bit disoriented. The willows take on such a different personality in the darkened days of late October.

Plants take on new shapes and personalities. Mama Mia Medlar! Shall I try to tame this apparition? (Is that a private thought to be whispered?) Do we question that they have voices? (never!) Do we feel like stepping right up and speaking to them? (Indeed. We do.)

October is Wild

The hills are on fire with color. Bursts of burgandy, red, orange, and yellow weave across folding hillsides, and how they shimmer when the sun sets low in the sky! The days are so much shorter now. Trees hang on to their leaves as long as possible, making sugars with whatever light is left. Autumn flowers keep on blooming until they can’t; pollinators are grateful. We make the most of the time we have.

Several things seem almost Christmasy in such vivid red and green: Cornelian cherries, American highbush cranberries, autumn olives….  The jays, flickers, chickadees, and towhees sing to one another about it through the shrubbery.

October is full of magic. It smells of damp leaves, fungal soils, wet cedar and pine, hops still on the vine, and things turning brown.  

It also smells of cinnamon in the kitchen while jars are filled with hot stewed apples. They are stacking up – and are fun to give away. I must remember to harvest some more rosemary and sage before it gets much colder.

We are now at about the halfway point between the Autumn Equinox and the Solstice, which some consider the first of winter. While the weather rages outdoors, some of us remain comfortable inside. 

“Do not be alarmed when the wind starts to howl and the leaves swirl through the air.” 

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October Tasks – Winter Preparedness

To-Do Right Away

• Put away hoses. Check.
• Winterize water systems. Check – sort of.
• Gather up the squashes. Yay! Check.
• Pick and dry herbs – partially checked
• Pick apples, store in 2nd refrigerator, make and can applesauce & apple butter. Check, check, check, check. Whew. 
• Pick Cornelian cherries and can some jam. So pretty! Check. Wine? Hmmm….
• Save seeds & share with friends – but leave some for feathered friends, too – sunflowers, echinacea, asters, rudbeckia, sedums, and more. 
• Leave debris for mulch and habitat, i.e., heap it up a bit but leave it messy like we like it. Easy check. 
• FIRST – Clean out the greenhouse to make room for the wasabi and Andean root collection. (Big job. Check.)
• NEXT – Move the wasabi (and other tender plants) into the greenhouse. (yes!)
• Plant some cover crops where the wasabi used to be. Check.
• And plant some salad greens in the greenhouse. (Will the ones I planted outside make it? Fingers crossed. Looks like maybe not.)

Ongoing & Soon-to-Do Tasks

• Pick MORE apples! Such Abundance!
• Pick more herbs and some extra to share
• Dig up some madder roots!
• Plant bulbs — daffodils, tulips, garlic, etc.
• Keep an eye out for weld and woad friends.
• Seeds – don’t forget the Murasaki, Crocosmia, Echinacea, Coreopsis … the syllables roll off the tongue!
• Untangle bindweed. Shrubs will appreciate what limited sunlight they can still get.
• Go foraging for mushrooms, rosehips, etc. Tra la!

To do later…. because there is only so much we can do right now

• Cut back berry canes – although we are getting a second flush of raspberries- such a treat!
• Take cuttings
• Transplant shrubs & trees — fall is the best for transplanting – but first I have to clean out a space for them. It might have to wait for spring.
• Are there any hazelnuts? (The birds always get them first)
• Try to find pathways and cut them back to get a head start on spring. 
• Medlars. What to do. There are SO many! The tree has grown out farther than I ever expected and the branches are drooping under the weight of these small (but heavy) fruits. They make an extraordinary vinegar…